Ace Attorney: Turnabout Psychic
by NaruTard 1.5
Summary: A new defense attorney fresh from law school gets his dream job at Wright and Co Law Offices. At the same time, Dee Vesquez is released from prison, both wright and Maxwell suspect foul play, but to what end? It seems Wright's condition for hiring Max will be met sooner than later, the only question is, did Wright really do what everyone, even Maya believes he did?
1. A Dream Come True

Author's Note: Please Read~

1: The following story is a complete reboot of my story "Ace Attorney: Turnabout Nephew" and has been edited heavily into a canon friendly edition.

2: As this story is a reboot of the original, a few key scenes have been changed or added, and a lot more detail has been given to already existing scenes. Because the intent of this story is to present the previously mentioned fanfic in a more canon-friendly way, it is not a duplicate upload. A LOT of things have been changed, not just the title.

3: The best way I learn is by doing, however without a point in the right direction, I don't know what I can do better. In that respect, reviews of any kind are much appreciated.

4: Finally, this story takes place in-between the second and third games in the series; more importantly, the bonus chapters from both of the first two games have either not happened yet or not happened at all.

Ace Attorney: Turnabout Telepath

April 1'st : Hallways of Newton's Law School

*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney OST - Auspicious People*

It's a hard life being brilliant; especially when your father kind of demands that you go to law school in his will. This was the case with Maxwell, a somewhat lean 6 foot tall 18 year old who started law school at a shockingly young age of 12. School was his only escape from hearing too much, that is to say, he was what some people call gifted, and what others would call a freak; it wasn't his ears that were gifted, it was his mind in so many ways.

Bully #1's Conscience: Dude, here he comes-that freak…when he walks around the corner; that bucket…

It was true, Max could see people's thoughts, or to more accurately put it, their inner selves; he had been bullied quite a lot lately and he knew why. After all his father was a famous lawyer, nowhere near as famous as a certain defense attorney in Los Angeles, but still pretty up there; the only reason he even got into this school was because his parents had set it up for him. As he walked down the hallway outside of his dorm room he examined the area cautiously, taking note of the elegant red and gold carpeting, the sturdy wooden walls, and finally the many archways that went high above his head. After putting his glasses on he glanced toward the corners of the wall, he could see it; very thin and barely visible, high tension fishing line, tied to a bucket of most likely freezing cold water.

"What a drag, that's like the oldest; most cliché trick in the book…" Max moaned with heavy sarcasm under his breath as he started to walk the other way. "Still…I may as well humor them a little…" He waited a bit before starting toward the booby-trapped arch in question. "Oh gee, I sure hope those jerks from last week weren't messing around here instead of heading to class." He chimed as he pretended to be unaware of the coming downpour of whatever they had filled the bucket with.

As he stepped on the expertly placed fishing line he sighed as he waited a few seconds, he could hear their snickers already; and Max was hoping those 24 year old half-wits were more mature than that. Oh well, he did decide to humor them a little, so he stepped aside just in time to grab the bucket; and then tossed its contents onto the leader's jacket. It was true what he'd heard, it didn't matter what school you go to; there will always be jocks that think too highly of themselves, the only difference with these goons was their silk tuxedos that looked fairly normal compared to his bright purple vest and pants.

"What the hell…how did he…" It was all the bully could say before he clenched his fist. "You don't belong here you freak!" And then a classic right jab, just a standard boxing thrust from what Max could tell.

"Really, if you can't take a prodigy being in your school you don't belong here any more than I do-rule one…don't try to play pranks on a psychic." Max had barely enough time to dodge out of the way, a half a second later and he'd be the one out of breath. "Rule two, don't piss off a psychic on the day of his final exam and try to make him late with stupid pranks!" Using all his might, he gripped the bully's arm with his left arm and jabbed at the bully's stomach, making him a bit winded.

While it was true that Max didn't have much of a build, he still practiced at least the basics of martial arts; being a defense attorney was a risky job sometimes. He'd heard rumors that some prosecutors would go to any length to get an attorney off their case, if that ever happened he sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for them. Even though he wanted to stick around and enjoy the bully and his henchmen stare in shock, he had bigger things to worry about. The little excursion with the bullies made him remember that he'd left his briefcase that held his court record for the final exam in his room, when he started to walk back in order to get it the bullies started chuckling.

"You won't be finding those files punk, she paid us to hide that briefcase of yours and we hid it damn good. Huh—what's with the laughing, you know you can't win without evidence!" The bully snapped in surprise as max started chuckling.

"Only an idiot goes into an exam unprepared…I got it all up here…so I think I'll do just fine." He sighed and shook his head, pointing at his forehead as he spoke. "Besides, the court record for this case is already submitted to the court." And with that he was off to the mock courtroom where he would hopefully be earning his lawyers badge for real this year.

Two years ago a transfer student had prevented him from graduating, a practically bloodthirsty prosecutor who seemed to forget that weapons weren't allowed in the courtroom. The case was pretty open and shut, a dagger had been found in the back of a politician and it had incriminating prints on it, he'd managed to stall the simulated case to a third day; and if his hunch was right, his client was innocent. There was very little evidence to prove that someone else did it, but he was going to grit his teeth and press every detail if he had to.

April 1'st : 9:30 AM : Mock Courtroom #2

It was a heated battle, a long line of shouting hold it and objection back and forth by both prosecution and defense; at this point the crowd was rooting for the prosecution, practically cheering for the death of the pretend client. The pressure was almost too much, and Max was sweating every detail that he could remember, especially since his opponent had successfully countered every objection he'd made. It couldn't be the sensation that someone was watching him, silently cheering him on that was distracting him; nobody would root for a losing defense attorney. Now was his last chance, the witness had repeated their testimony for the last time, and one question had been lingering in his mind during the whole case.

"Then answer me this one last question, what were you doing at the scene of the crime the day after?" Max asked cautiously as he glared fiercely at the witness, hoping he could startle him enough to slip up.

"What?! I have a s-solid testimony about what happened on the day of the murder. Why would I return to the scene of the crime? I mean, it's not like I held the murder weapon at all recently, especially not tw—crap!" The witness froze in the middle of her rant, and stared at the prosecution as if begging for help.

*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney OST - Pressing Pursuit ~ Cornered*

"Gotcha~" Max chimed pridefully as he crossed his arms and gave the witness a nice, big shit-eating grin.

"I d—don't know what you're thinking, it better not be about my girlfriend's blood being on the blade!" The witness spat out in a panic as they tried their best to regain their composure.

"What was it you were about to say, that you hadn't been holding the murder weapon two days ago? Oh I wonder what happened two days ago, that's right—the murder of a politician, with your knife!" Max exclaimed with a bit more confidence in his tone, he felt like a miner that'd just struck gold.

"Objection! Your honor, the defendants' blood has been found at the scene of the crime, too. Who's life fluid on what object is irrelevant to the case, need I remind you whose fingerprints were on the handle of the dagger?" The prosecutor managed to utter her argument without any sign of shock, but she sure jumped in quick.

"Not so fast—the defendant has explained that she knows close to nothing about how to properly handle a knife, especially not one meant for self-defense. Let's say that the witness decided to pull a stunt, and hand the knife to them while holding the hilt…?" Max paused and waited for the prosecution to respond to his claim.

"Th—the defendant would ask if it was safe to hold a knife like that without a leather glove on…this glove was also found at the crime scene…your honor…" The prosecutor choked out in shame as she started sweating nervously as she presented the glove as evidence.

"Exactly, now let's say that our witness here, a street-boxing champ explains the proper way to hand a knife to someone. The defendant unwittingly, would obviously grab the hilt tightly, making sure not to drop it and possibly cut herself, resulting in her fingerprints being left on the weapon a few minutes before the murder happened." Max paused in thought for a moment he wanted to give the judge time to think.

*Phoenix Wright - Justice For All OST: Tell the Truth 2002*

"An interesting theory, but you've got one little problem…that glove doesn't belong to me…" The witness had regained their composure after they spoke up. "I bought that glove as a gift for my girlfriend and mailed it to her, and said girlfriend happens to be the defendant." The witness explained with a cocky smirk of their own, almost like they were trying to keep something a secret.

Great, just wonderful, Max was so close to winning his final practice case; and the witness was worming his way out of every hole he found. It wasn't helping that the simulated defendant was scared half to death at the moment, while it was just a hologram it was human enough to leave an impression. This was getting to be a headache, all of his leads were dead ends; and everyone in the crowd was against him, even the judge doubted his opinion at this point.

Unknown Girl's Conscience: Come on mister defense attorney in training, think, don't gloves usually come in pairs?

Pairs, well, whoever the girl was had a pretty sharp mind; if Max actually knew what she was getting at! Seriously, what good did having the power to read thoughts do when it couldn't help you win a case? Okay, at the very least whomever the spirit belonged to sounded kind of cute, maybe she was on to something.

"Your honor, the leather glove that the defendant was wearing at the scene of the crime was a right handed glove correct?" Max asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side, he was still nervous as hell, but he had to get something out of it.

"Yes…I don't see how that has anything to do with this case, unless you're suggesting—"

"Objection! The Judge is right, what importance does it hold if the evidence I submitted just now is a left handed glove? You're not saying what I think you're saying…" The prosecutor growled bitterly as she slammed her hand on the desk.

"Hahahaha! What a helpless defense attorney, are you trying to say I would frame my own girlfriend for the death of her father? Ack!" The witness pretty much jumped out of his skin when he realized what he'd said.

*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney OST - Pressing Pursuit ~ Cornered*

"Bingo! Of course, I'd be happy to admit defeat, right here, right now…if you'll do one little thing for me." Max stated with a slightly devilish chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders a little.

"And that would be?" The prosecutor moaned in frustration, already sweating bullets about where she thought this was going.

"Let's have the witness try on both gloves, if they both fit, there's your answer; if only the left one fits, then that's even more reassuring, and if only the right one fits…I'm sunk~" Max explained with a little smirk as he looked at the judge.

In the end, the witness absolutely refused to put on either one of the gloves; and when he was asked if he'd seen the knife before he shoved the knife into the witness stand, protesting in an even grander rage than expected. After that the witness passed out from the stress, the defendant was proven innocent, and Max earned his Lawyers badge; it was a good day indeed, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of danger thickening in the air. It was like some spirits or something were trying to warn him of obstacles in the future, he was too busy polishing his new badge to care though. All that spirit medium stuff was cool and everything, but that was his mother's stick, not his; it was hard enough being able to read minds, and he could hardly do that right.

Max spent the greater half of the rest of the day cram-studying actual schoolwork, he hadn't been keeping up on his assignments lately and he needed some brainfood; once the study session was over with, he packed up his things in the single large suitcase, how he managed to get a month's worth of clothes in a single suitcase was another thing he got from his mother. Going to the airport would be a pain, but soon he would be tracking down and meeting one lawyer in particular he wanted to work for.

January 3'rd: Los Angeles Airport

The Los Angeles airport was far busier than Max had expected, and with his talent it made it difficult for him to navigate thanks to the literal thousands of people; he didn't expect the unsheltered lifestyle to be so busy. Of course the place was a maze more or less anyway, it was one of the reasons his mother preferred to either drive or go by train; sometimes both of them were a lot faster, cheaper, and less inconvenient than flying somewhere. However a cross-country trek in ground vehicles would be quite a hassle, so flying was the only way to go for now since he didn't have a license or a car to drive.

"Geeze…it's a freaking zoo in this place, I can't imagine how people do this kind of thing for a living!" Max moaned in frustration as he dragged his suitcase down to the food court in the visitors lounge. "I mean seriously, a three hour layaway and a two hour delay…that's gotta be-ouch-hey…watch where you're…" Max was too late, he ended up bumping into a young girl without realizing it, and he heard the sound of ceramic material shattering.

"Noooo, oh no, no-no-no…this is terrible, my gift for Nick that I had shipped here as a souvenir!" The young woman exclaimed in shock as she stood to her feet and laid eyes on the carnage in front of her. "Hey, buster, what's the big idea bumping into me like tha—oh wow…it's you!" The girl finished in surprise when she turned around to look at who had knocked her down.

Max was caught off guard when the strange girl showed signs of seeing him somewhere before almost right away, what puzzled him was how quickly she went from angry to surprised; no average person would do that. As he examined the seventeen year old girl, something about her kimono threw him off; its color scheme had lots of blues and purples, more notably the same shade purple his lawyer's uniform was. The eye catcher was the two beads strung at the end of her hair, and the prayer necklace around her neck; it had a bead shaped like half of a yin-yang symbol in its center. Judging from her hairstyle, she could be either a year-round cosplayer or a spirit medium; Max kind of had his money on the spirit medium part.

"S-sorry…I didn't mean to bump into you…this is my first time in a big airport like this. Uh-I'm Maxwell…but a lot of people just call me Max…" Max's face was flushing a little as he spoke; the girl had some odd charm to her, despite being just odd. "So, is there any way I could make this up to you?" He asked with a sigh as he felt a little discouraged, his first time outside of New York and he was already ruining some girl's belongings.

"Hum…so your name's Max, neat, I'm Maya, Maya Fey~" Maya chimed putting a hand out to shake, she smiled after Max responded with the same gesture. "Well…you could…buy me a new one; they only sell them at a certain store that's stationed at a lot of airports now!" She suggested with enthusiasm in her tone, she already seemed to like him.

_Did she just say what I think she said…there goes my shot at a romance with a spirit medium._ Max thought with a disheartened moan as he rubbed his neck a little nervously. "Okay, so uh…how much was this rare plate of yours?" He asked cautiously, silently praying that it wouldn't be too expensive.

"Let's see, not counting shipping it from the other airport…carry the seven…um, one hundred and twenty dollars!" Maya answered with a big grin on her face, hoping he would own up to his offer.

"One-hundred and twenty?! That's as much as my plane ticket…I don't have that kind of money to throw around for an utter stranger." Max just about had a heart attack when he heard the price; a plate that expansive would be suitable for a king to eat off of.

"Oh…I see, I guess you don't have a heart after all…" Maya stated with depression in her expression. "A helpless girl asks you to buy something and you're just saying no…" she added with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, still looking disheartened at his answer.

Damn, what on earth was this girl; some kind of succubus or something? One minute she was chipper and kind and the next she was guilt tripping the hell out of him for an accident. Maxwell had to ponder what kind of family she had, what sort of up-bringing would result in such an odd girl; he almost pitied any man who had to work with her on a day to day basis. Still, she was pretty adorable in her own unique way, and it was his fault that the plate broke after all.

"Ugh, may as well shove a spear into my heart Maya…" Max mumbled underneath his breath, hopefully not loud enough for her to hear. "Look, I can't buy you a new plate—maybe I can take you to lunch or something instead?" He offered kindly with a slight blush on his face, he hated making girls upset either way.

"Really? Cool, I know this great burger place a few minutes from here! We can make it in time for their lunch prices if they hurry~" Maya chimed playfully as she changed moods once more, almost at the flip of a switch.

"Geeze, I should've known you were fak—hey…Maya…come on, at least let me get my luggage!" Max had little choice as he was dragged by the hand, though he did manage to use his open hand to grab his suitcase just in time.

Max had to count his blessings, the girl was a fey; so that meant he couldn't even date her. But he could at least be friends with her, and the more they talked at the diner the more he found they had in common. Very few kids his age liked things like steel samurai and pink princess, he couldn't help but feel a strong connection to her; it was the main reason his mother asked him not to use his last name. When Max brought up his idol and role model she snickered a little, it confounded him to the point of wanting to ignore it either way.

"So…Nick's your idol, that's funny, Mr. Wright doesn't have many fans…so why did you fly to LA? I mean, you came all the way from Newton's Law school right, isn't that place in New York?" Maya asked seriously as she tilted her head to the side a little.

"I know this sounds crazy…but—I want to be his understudy, it would help me put my dad's spirit at ease. See…this incident happened when I was ten; and I became a defense attorney because my father told me to put a certain criminal to justice. Wright hasn't lost a case since he got his attorney's badge…so…" Max sighed as he explained it the best he could, it wasn't an easy subject for him to talk about. It made him so nervous that he had to get out his luck charm and fiddle with it a little; when he did she seemed surprised.

"Oh! Hey, that's a magatama stone~ but…I thought only my mother could make things like that…is it genuine?~" Maya chimed with interest as she swiped it from Max's hand to inspect it closer.

"Give that back—it's a momento from my mom! And…magma what…uh, sorry; my mom just called it a good luck charm." Max frantically grabbed it out of her hands faster than she could flip between moods, it was the only thing he had that connected him to his mother's side of the family.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get so excited; it's just I have only seen one of those, and it's the one Nick has. And it's not magma, it's ma-ga-ta-ma…okay? I have an idea; I'll talk to Mr. Wright and see if he'll hire you. But um…the pay isn't that great…I saved up for weeks to get that plate…" Maya responded with a teacher-esque expression as she corrected his mispronunciation.

January 5'th: Wright and Co Law Offices

In the end, Max had little time the first couple of days in LA to meet with the famed lawyer; he was busy with a distracting hotel clerk, who knew being young had its advantages outside of japan. Either way, today was going to be important; Wright had agreed to hire him on one condition, and it was a staggering one. He was almost too nervous to enter the place, but he was determined to find the truth; and what better way to do that then to learn the secrets of a man who was one of the top-rated defense attorneys in LA.

_Oh man, this office is so tiny; but I'm still intimidated by the thought of getting near this place. Well…there's no turning back now, I've got to man up and face him. _Max thought with a sigh as he opened the door and walked in.

To be honest, he was kind of let down when he actually saw him; all the stories he'd heard made the man sound like the god of all defense attorneys. Instead it was just a medium-built twenty four or so year old man with spiky hair more suited to an anime character than a lawyer game. Wright was conversing with someone on the phone about something, so he started to turn around and head out to maybe come back another day.

"Hey! Darnit…I told Maya to lock the door when she—hmm…oh, you must be that exotically dressed law school student Maya told me about…uh, Max was it?" Wright stated in surprise as he hung up the phone once the conversation was over.

"Y-yeah…you're Phoenix Wright? It's an Honor, I mean…well, it's just…I expected you to look…a little cooler." Max blushed as he realized the person he'd idolized more than his own father was just an average human.

Wright's Conscience: Cooler…well that's depressing; I thought my games would be more popular by now.

Max stood there in confusion when he heard the man's conscience; sure enough, on the outside the guy was as confident as could be, but he was a timid and easily surprised guy on the inside. After a few minutes of blank staring he took a deep breath and thought of how to explain himself. Wright had been at it for about three years, and he'd never shown any interest in an apprentice, let alone an understudy.

"I looked up your court records on the internet, and Maya dug up some good stuff on you too. I'll maybe hire you on as an apprentice…on one condition; think you're tough enough for it?" Wright teased him with a confident grin; if his judgment was right the kid seemed harmless enough.

"A condition? Well, law school didn't prepare me for going toe to toe with the greatest lawyer…well, in LA at least, but I'm not afraid!" Maxwell wasn't too sure about himself, but he was ready for anything after meeting Maya.

"If a certain prosecutor comes after me for whatever reason…I need you to take the case for me. For now, I just want you to watch, and learn, it's how I learned from Mia and it's how I intend to teach you…understand?" Wright responded as he raised a brow at Max, he certainly was confident enough to handle the kind of cases his firm usually got.

"You can count on me Wright! I'll get you out of any kind of incident you might find yourself in no matter what." Max could pick up on Wrights trademark sense of sarcasm quite easily; after all he had seen videos of the man in action.

Wrights Conscience: Urk! Maya wasn't kidding when she said this kid was good, well it's not like I'll be framed or anything any time soon; that kind of thing happens only once in a lifetime, even in this series.

"Mister Wright….don't Jinx yourself…you know as well as I do that this job can be dangerous…" Max uttered with a somewhat disheartened tone, it wasn't like they knew why he took this job at such a young age.

Both Phoenix and Maxwell may have been kidding around, but neither of them knew the trouble they were about to be in; of course Wright never stays out of trouble for too long anyway. It all started with a simple news report that happened that very evening, in fact little did they know that it would be the cause of misfortune for all three of them. Maxwell still couldn't shake the fact that trouble was on the way, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney OST - Investigation ~ Core 2001*

"We're here at LA state prison where a famous television producer has been released just two years after facing judgment for murder. Miss Vasquez, you've made a stunningly fast rehabilitation, could you comment to the press about your sudden change in belief?" The news reporter asked curiously as the woman she was trying to interview prepared to enter a limousine.

"Surprise…." It was all Vesquez said after a few minutes of silence.

"I…beg your pardon miss Vesquez, but…could you elaborate more? The public is dying to know how you got released for good behavior after such a heinous act." The reporter questioned once more as she nodded for the camera to zoom in on the producer.

"Wright…." Vesquez uttered coldly smiling ever so slightly as she glared into the camera lense.

Maxwell was miles away from the tall, buxom producer and yet he could still feel her imposing presence; it was a sensation so powerful it made his neck hairs stand on end. Though she was attractive, something about that woman turned him off, it wasn't just her age either.

"So you've been working on a surprise…for…Phoenix Wright? But isn't he the defense attorney that got you put in prison in the first place?" The news reporter jumped back when Vesquez gave her a threatening glare before regaining her composure almost instantly.

"All in due time…good things come to those who wait, I can't call it a surprise if you know what makes it a surprise, correct?" Vesquez asked as she tilted her head to the side and took a breath from her pipe. "Your news story will come in time too, so don't be a pest now…I need to go to work and prepare." And with that she entered the car and the car itself drove off without warning.

Wright's Conscience: Good behavior nothing, my money's on the fact that she probably used her connections and her 'boys' to get out of it.

This was another interesting comment that made Max raise a brow; he'd heard that Wright had dealt a devastating blow to the woman's career, what with solving the Steel Samurai case and whatnot. But there seemed to be something deeper in that reaction, Maya's sudden change in mood as she entered the room was a surprise as well. It annoyed Max to no end, that he had a strong sensation that the woman would be trouble sooner or later. Regardless, he had gotten his dream job, and he would do what he could to prove himself worthy as Wrights understudy. Little did he know that he would be proving his worth in a way nobody expected him to.


	2. The Dream is Broken

July 13'th: Joe's Diner

*Godot's Theme: "The Fragrance of Dark Coffee"*

Needless to say, Maxwell's career was off to a rocky start; days turned into weeks and weeks became months, there didn't seem to be any real cases coming in. Whenever a case did come in, Wright would jump on it without a second thought, he denied some cases and those were the very few that Maxwell actually took on. All three of those chances were traps, making him either plead justified defense, accomplice or even guilty as a result. In the short time that he'd known him, Miles Edgeworth had proven to be a devastating foe; it was no wonder Wright warned him not to let his guard down.

"Man…this is bad…if I lose any more cases I'll be sent back to law school, that Edgeworth…he's ruthless." Max moaned as he started to take a drink from his drink, the fruit smoothie wasn't helping his mood at all.

Wright and Maya had taken Max out to dinner at Maya's favorite hamburger place, one that was reminiscent of an old nineteen forties burger shop; checkered floors, old school waitress outfits, it even had one of those old jukeboxes in the corner. The up-beat music that was playing really didn't help Max's mood at all, and the environment was just too old school for his liking.

"Let it be a lesson in modesty then…" Wright uttered in a thoughtful tone as he paused for a moment. "A true lawyer doesn't take on every case they can, you should only take on cases where you feel that you can trust your client completely." He finished with a shrug as he took a bite of his hamburger.

"Easy for you to say mister 'gets all the right answers from a player' …." Max snapped in frustration as he caught himself breaking the fourth law again, he really needed to kill that habit.

"Ehehehe….you kinda do have a point there…but even a player messes up sometimes~" Wright countered the statement with another true fact, he really didn't understand what Max was talking about though.

After that Maxwell decided to change the subject, he'd been working with the unlikely pair for nearly seven months now and he barely knew them. It was just average small talk though, things like their favorite music, foods, movies and other similar topics. Just when his mood was starting to get better, he got a cold chill down the back of his neck when a customer walked into the diner.

"Well, well…if it isn't the foolish Phoenix Wright…and his foolish bench council…no way, I can't believe you hired that Fong brat. Leave it to Wright to foolishly hire yet another fool, everyone knows when you hire a Fong it brings bad luck." It was a female voice, roughly around his age, only one woman in the world adored that word so much.

"F—Franziska…uh…h-hey…look, we're kind of in the middle of something here so if you don't mind." Maxwell stuttered in frustration as he tried to ignore her presence, she was a powerful woman and an even more frightening prosecutor.

_So Maxwell is a Fong? I wondered why he didn't want to tell us his last name; he wouldn't even let the judge say it, interesting._ Maya thought to herself as she took a couple of short breaths, ready to face the prosecutor's whip if she spoke up.

While it was true that Franziska wasn't built like a tank or anything like that, her black and white German lawyer's uniform was imposing enough. Max wasn't too fond of the silvery-blue hair matching the lipstick she usually wore; it seemed like a waste of time for such a hot blooded woman to be dressy. The only part of her attire he paid attention to was her long leather whip, which she most likely took everywhere with her. Neither Wright nor Maya could see it, but Max felt himself blushing a little, he'd only met her twice in his life and each time he met her she became even scarier. This woman had a certain power over people, and while many feared it, he sort of admired it.

"Spare me the romantic act; I just came here to inform that fool and his pet that I'll be handling all of Edgeworth's cases for a while. You may have defeated me once, but the next time the kid gloves will be off Fong!" Franziska chimed as she grabbed her whip stinging Wright with it once, returning her attention to Max afterward. "Look at you, I haven't even snapped my whip in your direction and you've already got your tail between your legs. Shape up Fong, or ship out, otherwise I look forward to crushing you in court and sending you back to school where you belong." It wasn't so much as a threat as it was a warning, and just as quickly as she'd appeared she ordered a mocha late to go and left.

In the end, Franziska's interruption did little to help Maxwell's self-esteem; in fact it brought it down even lower than it was in the first place. Something told him he would need to remember what she'd said though, not everything, it was the statement regarding Edgeworth. It felt as if the spirits wanted to be on his side for once, either way; things quickly went back to normal once the dead silence of surprise was broken by the next song playing on the jukebox. Both Wright and Maya pestered Max about how the woman knew him, but he refused to tell them any of the grander details; instead he simply told them she was a substitute prosecutor for his law school for a while, and that she was the reason he had to stay in school a few extra years mastering the trade.

"So the only reason you can't handle the pressure in court is because you don't…meditate?" Maya asked curiously hoping to get the conversation going again, a change of subject would've been nice anyway.

"Yeah, pretty much…I just can't concentrate that well, I get headaches, butterflies in my stomach…the works." Max admitted with a light sigh of relief, he really didn't want to talk about why he had to meditate sometimes. While spirit mediums were being accepted in court now, what he could do was very different and twice as confusing to anyone who didn't understand.

"Huh…so next time you should just try meditating beforehand then, I know I can't think straight worth a damn if the pressure gets to my head~" Wright stated with a sheepish chuckle as he looked over the check for their meal, his confidence went down a bit too when he saw the price.

"I guess so, it's just…complicated that's all, hopefully I'll remember to do that next time." Max responded with a slight shrug as he finished his drink, he couldn't help but chuckle at Wright's face when he saw the bill.

October 3rd : Tenrei Village Meditation Room

Maxwell had requested a few weeks off from his job at Wright and Co Law offices, while he hated to leave Phoenix alone with that odd Maya girl; he had little choice in the matter. If he was going to be taken seriously in court if the Fong family name was ever brought up, he needed to complete his psychic training. More than that, he felt like his ability would be a big help to Wright sooner or later, and he'd rather have full control over it as well as a complete understanding of it. His hometown in New York was identical to Kurain village, only much larger, holding a few more buildings and having many more inhabitants. Not many outsiders visited Tenrei, mainly because the rumors that they brought bad luck; just by simply looking at them, it was one of the reasons Maxwell was so adamant about not mentioning his last name outside of his village.

"Maxwell…you're tense…breathe softly, let your mind's eye see what your heart cannot." It was his instructor, his aunt Floria who was teaching him his final lesson. "Remember, the image that you see is not a sub-conscience, nor is it a person's actual conscience; it is their inner self, their true self…the voice inside that only speaks the truth." Floria finished with a calming tone as she watched Maxwell's meditation closely.

Maxwell couldn't help but feel tense today, earning his lawyer's license and accompanying badge was easy; but this spiritual mumbo-jumbo made no sense to him, well he did understand it for the most part. During meditation he could only see a clouded area, taking his aunt's advice he took calming breaths, blocking out everything in his surroundings until he saw nothing but blackness. He was now in the void of his mind.

Slowly the figure of his aunt came into view, first her wooden sandals formed, then her white socks and her legs; followed by her beautiful spiritual robe. It was a long, red dress with hanging fabric, the upper part of the skirt was white; and the kimono wrapped around her under skirt was purple, the same shade of a spirit medium's uniform. He saw every tiny detail, right down to the glasses she wore and the charged Fong family stone hanging around her neck, glowing brilliantly in a light blue hue nestled in her healthy cleavage. For a woman in her seventies, he could've sworn she was at least fifty from the way she looked, maybe it was just how she styled her hair in a bun and it still went down to her waist.

Floria's Inner Self: With this great power my nephew; you have unlocked your psychic abilities and completed your training. Do not fear the outside world, stand tall, stand proud…for you are and always will be a Fong. Go on and become a mighty warrior of the court, use your ability to find truth when even the most skilled lawyers can't~

"Yes aunt Floria…I promise I won't let you down…so uh…can I like, seriously go now? I'm going to miss my train…" Max moaned with sarcasm as he stood up and opened his eyes, snapping himself out of his meditative state.

"Ha, just like your father—always in a hurry to get to the next part of your life~" Floria chimed playfully as she helped him with his luggage. "One last thing though, a bit of a warning…" She cautioned him on the way to the train station, it was one of those express trains that were so popular in Japan.

"And that would be…what exactly…" Max couldn't help but get annoyed, she always did love to press every little detail, just like his mom used to.

"At times a person with strong spiritual power might not reflect their own image with their inner self. Instead you may see the image of another person, head their call…they may lead you to good fortune…or misfortune…it's kind of finicky really~" Floria stated playfully before giving him a hug and a kiss good-by.

A person with strong spiritual power, Max couldn't help but snicker when she said that; he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he told her his boss had a Fey in the office. Either way her comment gave him chills down the back of his neck, generally when the Fong family skill didn't reflect the person they were reading it meant that person was channeling a spirit. Max even heard stories that some psychics could even see spirits on their own, without a channeling a physical body. This idea gave him even more willies, if there was one thing Max's stomach couldn't take it was haunting spirits, the evil kind at least; he knew about god and that some souls just lingered out of regret. Hell even Maya had told him a few stories about her sister hanging around to help Phoenix whenever he was in a pinch. As the train left the station, a sudden sensation of dread came over him; it was that same omen he had when he got his lawyers badge, and when he saw the news report about Vesquez on TV a while back.

October 5th : 12:00PM Wright and Co Law Offices

When Maxwell got back to the office he noticed that Wright and Maya weren't around, most likely they were out having lunch or something considering the time. He sighed a little when he noticed what a mess the place was, and figured he'd surprise them by cleaning the place up a little. Max was no clean freak, but he did find that it was easier to think straight with a clean work environment; and now would be his chance to snoop around some of Wright and Maya's things. At least he was about to start snooping around once he was through cleaning up, until his cell phone rang.

*Phoenix Wright's Ringtone (Steel Samurai Theme)*

"Please don't be angel…" Max moaned to himself as he answered his cell phone. "Hello~ Wright and Co defense attorney, Maxwell speaking—oh…hey Maya…" Well that was embarrassing, he was hoping to try out his idea for a slogan for the company. "Wait…what—he's where, how…wait…what do you mean again? Uh, yeah sure….the precinct, yeah…got it!" Max was flustered as he slammed his cell phone closed and picked up his things.

October 5'th 12:15 PM Visitor's Lobby #2

*PW:AA OST: 15 - Police Cell ~ Jailers' Elegy*

When Maxwell arrived at the visitor's lobby, he was surprised to see Maya so saddened; sure she'd been disappointed a few times, but this time she looked heartbroken. He couldn't imagine what happened between them, but that wasn't why he was here, he needed to know the truth. After listening to Wright's story his heart sank like the Titanic, it was inconceivable especially for someone like Mr. Wright. There had to be some logical explanation to all this, and then Wright ended his story with the words he never imagined Phoenix would say.

"And then…I shot him…in cold blood, I just lost control…I got angry…and—Max?" Wright flinched when he saw Max's eyes light up when he said that, it reminded him of the look he got when he found some good evidence.

"If it's true that nobody will defend you, then—I will! Surely this prosecutor you mentioned can't be that good?" Max questioned with a raised brow as he slammed his hand down on the counter, a little too enthusiastically in hindsight.

"But Max…you do know the prosecutor for this case…is Franziska von Karma….right…" Maya interrupted nervously as she tried to get Max to back down a little, she had faith in Max's skills but he had nowhere near enough experience to take down Karma.

"V—von K…karma….THE Franziska von Karma…oh man…this is some serious shit you've gotten yourself into mister wright…" Max stammered out in shock as he remembered the name, flushing slightly as he did.

As deadly a foe Edgeworth was, just mentioning the name Von Karma in court would cause quite a panic, especially for defense attorneys. They would stoop to anything, forged evidence, fabricated testimonies to go along with that evidence, and in the case of Victor von Karma; well those details were a little touchy to talk about. Max was half relieved to find out it wasn't the old man that he had to face though, he'd learned a few new tricks that he wanted to try during his three months of training.

"Exactly, I've faced off against her myself Max, and nearly lost a case or two because of it. With the way you perform in court, she'll rip you apart in seconds…I can't put you through that; plus if you lose this case you'll-….what are you glaring at me like that for?" Wright backed away from the window when he saw Max's eyes flare up again, this time it seemed like he was really motivated.

"That's why I have to defend you Wright! Don't you get it; Karma's torn apart every defense attorney in this district at this point—excluding a certain attorney with a popular video game series. But she hasn't faced off with me, at least…not when I've taken her seriously…this is my only chance to prove that I'm good enough for it!" Max wasn't about to pull any punches this time, Franziska would get a huge slice of humble pie soon enough.

Maya's inner Self: Hehe~ Max sure got fired up when he heard Von Karma was involved…I wonder~

"Maya please don't give the author any stupid ideas…" Max moaned underneath his breath as he gave her a disapproving glare, that theory was almost as crazy as this case.

"Hey…! Max….did you just…read my…." Maya stammered out in shock when she noticed what he said, they were close enough for her to hear him talking under his breath.

"Ha, don't be silly…it's just the old Fong intuition that's all…oh…and yeah, I kinda can read minds…it's uh…complicated to explain." Max answered with a chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders a little. "So what do you say Mister Wright…I mean, I still owe you that one condition after all." He finished with a light smirk on his face, wondering if that chance to get some dirt on him would come up sooner or later.

"Fine…you can defend me if you really think you can prove me innocent…but the trial is tomorrow…and this is an "open and shut" case. I doubt even Mia would defend me…" Wright sighed a little as he thought about it; Mia certainly would be ashamed to hear that he was accused of murder again.

To be entirely honest, Maxwell wasn't comfortable with the fact that Von Karma was on the case, if the victim was really who Wright said it was; then it would definitely be Franziska's chance to hit him where it hurt. Max spent the remainder of the day investigating all the cases that Wright had solved, rather than the case at hand; he dug up all the info he could on Karma too but nothing worthwhile came up. His investigations on Edgeworth turned up some interesting facts, though those had little to do with the case as well; with all his research done he decided to cheer Maya up a little, lending her his special edition copy of the Steel Samurai series was a great way to pass the time anyway. A question lingered in Max's mind as he went to sleep, and it was the one thing that could win this case; why would Wright kill anyone, especially that man in cold blood?


	3. The Nightmare is Shattered?

October 6'th : 3:40 PM Defendant Lobby #2

*PW:AA OST: 02 - Courtroom Lounge ~ Beginning Prelude*

The next day Maxwell had decided to leave for the courtroom early, so he could prepare himself for the trial; he knew Karma was a dangerous foe, from personal experience; she had smoked him before and kept him from graduating. But now was his chance to prove her wrong, he was mature enough to be a defense attorney even if he didn't act like it all the time. Max was very deep in thought, running the events that wright explained through his mind countless times; every theory he came up with ended with the same result, guilty.

"Hey Max~ Wow…you sure look serious!" Maya chimed in her usual perky tone as she entered the room, more or less dragging Phoenix by the hand.

Max's stance hadn't changed at all since he heard Maya's voice, he just sat there, meditating with his eyes closed and his hands forming an o shape, with his thumb and pointer fingers being connected. The way he was breathing was far different from his usual behavior, completely silent breaths no matter how deep he inhaled.

"Sorry kiddo, no chance of getting through to that guy…" The court bailiff stated with a smirk on his face. "He's been sitting there like a statue since he got here two hours ago~ I've seen meditation in karate movies and stuff before—but this kid's the real deal. You could fire off a party popper in his face and he probably wouldn't move an inch!" The bailiff finished as he chuckled a little.

"N—no way…two straight hours…of meditation, woah…I know pearls can meditate for about forty five minutes without a break; and run for two hours, but that's just insane." Wright was almost speechless at the thought of it, that kind of meditation took some serious concentration. It made him wonder what Max was focusing on so hard that he'd ignore even Maya's upbeat tone.

"Heh even mystic Mia never meditated that long at his age, or so I've heard anyway~" A young girl had entered the room, she was wearing clothes nearly identical to Maya's; the difference being hers were pink, and her hair was tied up in such an adorable way.

"Pearly!~ I can't believe you made it on time, did you ask sis if she could help? See, Max isn't that great of an attorney so—eep!" Maya was surprised when Max suddenly opened his eyes and grinned, after being practically motionless since she got there.

"I contacted mystic Mia…but…she said she'd get a better view from where she was…and that it'd be an entertaining trial…" Pearls uttered bashfully as she bit her finger slightly out of nervousness. "She also said "A Fong won't need a Fey's help, our families have enough bad blood between us anyway." or…something like that." She finished with a light sigh, she knew mystic Mia meant well with her words; but they still confused her.

Max stood up and crossed his arms briefly when he heard that, oh yes, he'd heard of the family feuds between the Fey and the Fong's. Most of the time they were arguments about men not having the right to have spiritual talent, or that women were too stubborn and selfish to channel spirits. He'd heard rumors that there were a few occasions where the Fey main house had hired an assassin to murder the head of the Fong clan. Personally the members of the Fey family that he'd met were okay, but they were the very reason that the Fong's had to migrate to New York to avoid the conflict becoming an all out war.

"Your older sister has a point~ I won't need her help, but not because I wouldn't welcome it thanks to a family grudge." Max walked over to Pearls and patted her on the head with a closed eyed smile. "You see pearls, I'm a bit spiritually gifted myself…and it's your older sister who inspired me to take my powers seriously." He finished as he took a moment to crack his neck.

"Wow, I can't believe I left such a big first impression on you~ hehe!" Maya chimed in surprise as she jumped to conclusions once again.

"Uh…Maya….I was talking about Mia…" Max responded coldly with a somewhat serious expression, he did feel a little bad about disappointing her expectations though. "Hmm…you know, I wonder if there's a pun in both of your names somehow…whatever, I'll figure that one out later." He admitted with a snicker as he thought about it.

Wright's Inner Self: Wow…Max really grew up in three months, was it part of his training that he took that did it? He still seems like the happy go lucky guy I met about a year ago, but still…

"Hey…mister Maxwell? What kind of spiritual gift do you have, are you a spirit medium too?" Pearls asked curiously in surprise, she could definitely feel some spiritual power inside him; but the vibes were totally different from mystic Maya's and her own.

"Well…it's really tough to explain but…" Max crossed his arms and hummed in thought for a moment; looking for just the right words to use. "I can basically see that part of you that says "Boy…I'm really nervous" or "This outfit makes me look fat" as an image of yourself that acts independently. Usually this part of you tells the truth, even if you're sub-consciously lying about something." He hoped that was a simple enough explanation, she was pretty young after all, and too adorable for words.

Wright's inner self: Woah, some special talent—remind me to never play cards with this guy! Hey wait, doesn't that mean he could be practically invincible in court if he used his power on the witness during their testimony?

"My ability doesn't stop there Mr. Wright, you see…after a bit of serious meditation; my senses become very acute. I can pretty much hear someone's heartbeat at this point, well…it's not as loud as you might think, but I can definitely hear the rate at which it's beating. Which is useful during a cross examination." Max added with a prideful tone as he rubbed his nose with his finger a little bashfully, he hadn't quite mastered his senses to that extreme, but he could if it was quiet enough.

Maya blinked and stared at Max in disbelief, it wasn't often Max boasted about something; and even then there was always some slight air of modesty about it. It kind of confused her about what sort of training could hone the senses to that extreme, but then again she figured that's what the two hours of meditation was for. She also figured that the two hours of meditation was so that he wouldn't be so nervous and jumpy under all the pressure, what with Nick's life on the line and everything.

"Uh Max…how is hearing somebodies heartbeat useful during a cross examination?" Maya asked in curiosity as she put her closed fist to her chin in thought.

"Oh I know this one Mystic Maya~ it's because your heart rate increases when you're nervous, and especially when you're lying…right Mister Max?" Pearls chimed in excitement as she figured out the reason a bit sooner than expected.

"Heh—that's right Pearls, you're certainly sharper than some other Fey's I know…right Maya?" Max stated with a light chuckle as he thought about the hint of sarcasm in his tone, hopefully she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Maya pouted in a flustered tone as she crossed her arms and glared at Max, somewhat offended about what he said, though she still couldn't understand what he meant.

Wright's Inner Self: Right, again remind me never to play cards with this guy…or play truth or dare…

October 6'th: 4:00 PM Courtroom #2

Before Maya could protest any further about Max commenting on how brilliant she was; the bailiff mentioned that the court session was starting in a few minutes. Without hesitation Max entered the courtroom, and couldn't help but smirk a little when he heard the mutterings of the crowd. They were saying obvious things, pointing out his oddly colored uniform, or the fact that he was both an unknown attorney and fairly young. Some of the audience were already pronouncing Wright guilty and making wagers on how long he would last against von Karma. As he predicted, they were judging him purely by his previous performances in court; although they were very brave efforts, he ended up messing up horribly in one way or another. Most of the time, it was because he cracked under Edgeworth's relentless psychological assaults, and the forged evidence; at some points it made Max wonder how the Judge got his job, at least he wasn't a member of a more supreme court.

_Hmm…today is Saturday, and the courtroom closes in an hour and a half; if I play my cards right, perhaps I can scrounge up two days of investigation instead of just one._ Max thought to himself quietly as he returned to his meditative pose, the only variation being that he was standing at his spot in the defense desk with Maya at his side.

*PW:AA OST: 03 – Trial*

By the time the audience seats were filled in, the judge and even Von Karma had taken their places; Karma was in a surprisingly calm pose as well, if you could call crossing your arms and clenching one of your shirt sleeves a way of showing calmness. The one thing that concerned Max was that whip of hers, just from the brief smirk on her face when he glanced in her general direction it was obvious she wasn't afraid to use it. It almost felt like just the thought of him showing up today amused her; well she wouldn't be laughing it up for long.

"Settle down everyone, this courtroom will now begin the proceedings for Phoenix Wright; for the murder of Miles Edgeworth?" The judge seemed a little shocked when he read the case file, but quickly regained his composure. "Is the Prosecution ready?" He finished with a small sigh, not loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Your honor…" Von Karma didn't waste any time cracking her whip at the poor judge. "Would I be standing here so calmly if I wasn't more than prepared to put this foolish fool on his way to death road for the heinous murder of such a talented prosecutor? The correct answer would be "no" your honor. And I dare the defense to prove otherwise, without resorting to Phoenix Wright's dirty tricks." Von Karma finished in an almost threatening tone as she gave Maxwell a harsh glare.

Phoenix Wright was the one with dirty tricks, what lawyer based video game series was she playing all this time? Although, some of the answers Wright found were a bit convoluted, however just because it was complicated didn't always mean it wasn't true. He'd only read up on the Steel Samurai Case entirely, and taken notes from Wright's more recent cases; hoping they could provide some hints.

"I see, I suppose you would be more motivated to attain a guilty verdict than usual concerning the case at hand. I'd apologize for your loss, but you seem to be coping with it abnormally well…" The judge turned toward Max and blinked a little. "Is the defense ready for the proceedings?" The judge questioned with a slightly raised brow.

"…." Max didn't really feel like responding at the moment, he was busy formulating a solid plan of attack. Karma wouldn't go down without a hell of a fight, and he would have to attack her both psychologically and through the trial.

"It appears the foolish defense attorney has fallen asleep…allow me to wake him~" And with that Karma cracked her whip once more, this time striking Max good and hard.

"Was that really necessary Franziska…I was under the impression that such a mature and fetching young woman wouldn't have to resort to such childish pranks to get attention." Max paused and placed one hand on the desk and adjusted his glasses so that they were closer to his face. "Moreover, I was unaware that it was legal to use a 'weapon' in court…although, I guess you couldn't really hurt someone with a tiny whip like that." Thanks to the meditation beforehand Max didn't feel a thing, his body didn't even flinch on instinct when the whip hit him. "To answer your question your honor, yes I'm ready to defend Wright's freedom; and I won't settle for anything less than complete acquittal" Max responded with a chuckle underneath his breath, half wondering what Franziska was thinking right now.

Unfortunately she was too far away for Max to have a clear understanding of what Franziska's inner self would be saying; generally the voices were very quiet, and almost unnoticeable most of the time unless a person in question was within five or ten feet. Her slightly flush and flustered reaction was satisfying enough, it was a shame he couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or enraged; but his money was on the latter option.

"Hmm…the defense does have a point—I may penalize you Miss Von Karma, if you get a little too crazy with that whip. For instance, I suggest avoiding any impulses of whipping the defense attorney to the point of falling unconscious." The judge gave her a serious glance before continuing. "Anyway, the Prosecution will now make their opening statement." The judge stated with a sigh as he shook his head, sometimes he wondered about the sanity in this court.

"Of course your honor; the prosecution was alerted to a murder scene reported at twelve AM yesterday, the call was made by a favorable witness to this case. Furthermore, a more than capable detective arrested Wright as he was at the crime scene while the murder was happening; his reason for arrest being that he is suspected of committing the act." Franziska explained with a confident tone as she took a deep sigh of relief, she practically had this case won before it started anyway.

Max was a bit confused about Von Karma's statement, favorable to the case, an interesting tidbit indeed; obviously the witness's testimony would be in her favor. He wasn't as confident as he was presenting himself, but Max had a sinking feeling that he could turn things around just like Wright usually did. All he had to do was find a hole in the testimony of this first witness, and work from there. As he expected the first witness was detective Gumshoe. One of the things that bugged him, why would Franziska re-hire such a fumbling detective unless of course, she was absolutely counting on it?

"I'm sure everyone knows this, but for the sake of foolish newcomers, state your name and occupation." Franziska ordered in a confident tone as she prepared to crack her whip at him.

"The name's Dick Gumshoe; I'm a detective at the local precinct…" Gumshoe responded nervously as he scratched the back of his head; he hated coming up to the witness stand, because it usually resulted in a nice pay cut.

"Very well then…please explain to the court the crime that happened yesterday." The judge stated as he stroked his beard in thought for a moment.

"Right…I don't know all of the details, only what I gathered from arresting the defendant but this is what happened…" Gumshoe answered as he began his testimony.

*PW:AA OST: 07 - Examination ~ Allegro 2001*

—Testimony Reason for Arrest—

"I was working the midnight oil investigating a certain someone's records to make sure they weren't up to no good when I got the call. The witness said that Wright and old Edgy were "havin a mighty feisty argument" and she wanted to let me know things were getting bad cause one of em pulled a gun out. Before she hung up I heard a single gunshot, and drove with a lead foot to get to the scene as fast as I could. When I arrived it was already too late, Edgy was on the ground, dead as a doornail; the witness was unconscious lying against the building. The defendant, Phoenix Wright was standing at Edgeworth's feet with a pistol in his hands. After I took a good look at Edgeworth I put two and two together and arrested Wright on the spot." Gumshoe explained with an exhausted look on his face as he finished his testimony, he was really torn up about this whole case.

Well, that surprisingly detailed testimony certainly seemed believable; but Max wasn't so sure about how some of the things Gumshoe mentioned added up. There weren't any details that he was purposefully vague about, which was odd; maybe the poor guy was just worried about one of his buddies being in trouble like this for a second time. Generally the testimony first time around was purposefully vague, to deceive unwitting attorneys; this would be troublesome if he rushed through this.

"Hmm, with a testimony like that I've got half a mind to give a sentence right now, however I suppose the defense would object and demand a right to cross-examine anyway. So I'll give him a chance to prove his metal as a defense attorney." The judge uttered in his usual calm tone as he turned toward Max with a slight frown.

"Your honor, there really isn't a need for a cross examination, but I suppose it would be entertaining to watch this fool squirm as he tries to defend Wright." Franziska chimed tauntingly as she waved her finger in a chatisizing way.

_I hope you have an argument ready Karma, I'm not going to tuck tail and run because of that stupid whip of yours this time!_ Max thought as he glared at Gumshoe with fire in his eyes, he would prove Wright innocent if it killed him, hopefully without the killing him part.

-Cross Examination: Reason for Arrest-

"I was working the midnight oil investigating a certain someone's records to make sure they weren't up to no good when I got the call."

*Hold It*

"Mister Gumshoe, do you mind if I ask you who this 'certain someone' was and why you suspected they were up to no good?" Max asked curiously as he pushed his glasses back up on the ridge of his nose.

"Hmm…it doesn't have anything to do with this case pal, so I guess it's okay; I was booking up on Ves—yeow!" As expected, Gumshoe was cut off by a quick strike from Franziska's whip.

"The Prosecution will remind the witness that pointless information shall not be disclosed unless it's directly related to the case…" Franziska paused to crack the whip at the poor detective again. "Especially classified information!" She finished giving him a stern glare as she threatened to strike him a second time.

Max was kind of surprised that Karma jumped on the detective like that, there had to be some interesting info in that statement; so he made a mental note and sighed a little. Despite his under-confidence, he smelled a trap; and figured pressing further would spring it. Now that he was a little less tense, Max attempted to read Karma's inner self, unfortunately she was still too far away for him to hear anything; instead he focused on Gumshoe to see if he could pick anything up.

Gumshoe's Inner Self: Sheesh…every time I start telling the truth she gets whip happy, I'm just trying to do my job and manage to afford those stinking cups of instant ramen.

"You may continue with your testimony Gumshoe…I don't think that "classified" information is relevant to the case _at this point_ in time." Max stated with a soft smile, hoping to ease Gumshoe's spirit a little, he almost felt sorry for the guy.

"The witness said that Wright and old Edgy were "havin a mighty feisty argument" and she wanted to let me know things were getting bad cause one of em pulled a gun out."

*Hold It*

"Mister Gumshoe, did the witness clearly see that one of them was holding a gun? I would assume this witness is a friend of Wright and called due to being concerned about his safety." Max stated with a raised brow as he thought about how Gumshoe put emphasis on how the witness described the argument, but none on the gun itself.

"Sorry pal, but it was probably too dark to tell if one of em was holding a particular gun at night. The witness was probably standing a ways away from the pair too…judging from where she was when we found her unconscious." Gumeshoe answered seriously as he grinned a little, almost certain that he wouldn't get whipped this time.

Max found it a little odd that Karma didn't jump on him when he pressed that last statement, and it left a bad feeling in his stomach; either she was up to something or Gumshoe was telling the absolute truth. After a moment Karma's expression turned from serious to confident, that cocky grin was the only resemblance to her father.

"This is the gun that was confiscated when the defendant was arrested your honor; it was fired twice on the day of the murder, we also have fingerprints from both sides of the gun's grip. I humbly submit these items as evidence of the crime~" Karma stated with a sly tone as she presented the items and documents in question to the judge.

Max tilted his head to the side a bit in surprise when Karma submitted that evidence, his reaction wasn't to the weapon; it was about the fingerprints, why bother taking prints from both sides of the grip? He wasn't sure if there was a connection, but the little tidbit of information that Karma mentioned about the gun seemed interesting so he made a mental note on that for later. For someone with a perfect plan, she seemed to be making things too good for herself.

"Forgive my intrusion, but is there a specific reason you took fingerprints from both sides of the grip?" The judge questioned in curiosity as he thought about the evidence carefully.

"If I had to take a wild guess your honor, it's the prosecution's attempt to prove their theory that Wright did it; my guess is the prints match Wright's…which isn't good for my client." Max commented with a sigh of frustration as he shook his head, questioning if the judge was senile or not.

"Well, it's nice to see a fool who knows when he's about to lose; and your guess is correct; the prints do indeed match those of Phoenix Wright, thank you for falling into my trap and pointing that out Maxwell." Franziska stated tauntingly as she mock-curtsied to the court with a smile.

Crap, Max had a feeling in his gut that bringing up the prints would hurt his case; and the crowd's reaction was typical as well. They were all muttering and suspecting Wright right on the dot, until the Judge ordered them all to calm down. He could only pray that he could come up with a solution to this mess before it was too late to do anything.

Maya's Inner Self: Great job Max, you actually managed to make things worse for Nick…

"I never admitted anything about losing Karma, Mr. Gumshoe, please continue with your testimony." Max moaned with sarcasm as he pretty much ignored the comment Maya's inner self made, weren't bench counsels supposed to be on their employer's side?

"Before she hung up I heard a single gunshot, and drove with a lead foot to get to the scene as fast as I could. When I arrived it was already too late, Edgy was on the ground, dead as a doornail; the witness was unconscious lying against the building."

*Hold It*

"So the gun was fired once before you arrived, yet the prosecution has stated that the gun in question was fired twice? Okay, I can buy that—you wouldn't happen to know how long it took you to get to the scene, where this 'scene' was…and while I'm at it, do you have Edgeworth's autopsy report?" Max asked as he thought about it a little harder, surely there had to be a connection there.

"Cripes Pal, one question at a time, this is a cross examination…not 20—ouch!" Once more Gumshoe was cut off from his comment by the sting of Karma's whip, one glare from von Karma and he knew it'd be best if he kept his mouth shut.

"Let the worm squirm detective, just do your job and I might give you a raise." Karma stated in a smug, almost cocky tone as she smiled at him.

"Fine…it's not like this will make it any easier for the poor kid…" Gumshoe paused for a moment in thought. "The scene of the crime was the alley in-between Wright's Office and the Gatewater Hotel next door, it took me about ten minutes to get there; as for the other stuff, I guess if the boss says so…" With that gumshoe presented Edgeworth's autopsy report, he paused once again and sighed. "Oh…and this too…the bullet found on old Edgeworth's body."

Max was confused about this approach; generally prosecutors would intentionally hide evidence from the defense and even the court itself in order to get their victory. It didn't help that the literal mountain of evidence actually made Wright even guiltier, but something did tick in the back of his mind, and that was the location of the crime. The autopsy report was standard, a brief description of the condition of the victims body when it was found; where the bullet hole was on the body, and if there was any sign of struggle. The only time that the prosecution would be so open about evidence, was either that they were sure the person did it; or that they weren't sure and were desperately trying to make it appear to be true.

"Hmm…forgive me Detective…this is a lot to take in, I'll admit to the court right now; Wright is more or less my Idol, but with this evidence and your testimony…I don't want to believe how this looks for him." Max did what he could to make his statement completely honest, well it wasn't a complete lie, but still. "Would you mind repeating your entire testimony from the beginning, adding these new 'facts' to it?" he asked with a somber tone as he took a few deep breaths.

"Maxwell…you are trying to defend Wright correct…adding these statements to Gumshoe's testimony…you are fully aware of the verdict this will achieve if you find no flaws?" The judge stated with a bit of surprise in his tone, it wasn't the request that shocked him; it was that the lad seemed to be handing in the towel already.

"I…understand fully your honor…" Max let a devilish grin cross his lips. "I just hope that the _prosecution_ understands what will happen if Wright loses this case." He stated with a small snicker, oh yes, he was half tempted to admit defeat now when he came to that realization.

"Hmm…an interesting statement, for your sake, and for Wright's sake, I hope you know what you're doing." The judge answered with a sigh as he nodded toward Gumshoe, this boy was a confusing attorney to be sure.

*PW:AA OST:24 - Reminiscence ~ Classroom Trial*

Maxwell listened carefully to everything, and hearing it repeated word for word stung his spirit; there was no way he could defend Wright now. What a stupid choice to make, he'd basically shot himself in the foot, but it was about to get worse; much worse, especially considering that he couldn't think of a counter argument if he brought up an objection. He essentially started shutting everyone out, everyone except Gumshoe, Franziska, and the judge; there had to be something there, there had to be.

"This evidence isn't the only thing that supports my charges your honor…" Franziska had a shit eating grin on her face as she spoke up once Gumshoe finished his testimony a second time. "Now is the time Gumshoe…tell this child the truth about his idol…tell the court what Wright told you during his questioning." She finished with a mock curtsy as she almost gleefully awaited Max's reaction, surely the boy didn't have time to come up with a decent plan of attack.

"Well er…that would be a little cruel…but…what Wright said was, and I quote…" Gumshoe swallowed as if he were fighting the truth too. "I shot at a man, in cold blood…and Edgeworth collapsed shortly afterward." Gumshoe uttered with a somber tone as he watched for Karma's whip, half shocked she didn't sting him again.

"No…I can't accept this…I refuse to accept this…it's impossible, it's just a bad dream!" Max had never felt so defeated before, could Wright really kill Edgeworth in cold blood?

Maxwell wasn't on the verge of tears, but his dream was crushed the instant he decided to oppose Franziska of all people; the one prosecutor he'd lost to. There was too much evidence, more than that; Wright and Edgeworth were rivals so he did have a possible motive, albeit an extremely simpleminded one. He was pressing his hands down on the desk hard enough that the surface cracked a little, before he frantically examined what was in the court record; time was running out, he had to find something and fast. There was something missing, it was the smallest sliver of hope that he had, but it was a possibility, and a risk he was willing to take.

*PW:AA OST: 10 – Suspense*

"As much as it pains me to see such an honorable man commit crime—this is mind blowing…" The judge started to lift his gavel slowly, almost hesitating to make his choice as if something didn't feel right. "With this evidence, and the defense putting up no objections—Maxwell? Interesting…the fire seems to have returned to your eyes…have you found something?" The judge questioned with a raised brow, genuinely curious about the sudden one eighty from complete distress.

"I have a theory your honor, nothing more…Gumshoe…you're absolutely sure that Wright _specifically_ said he shot "at" a man; and while saying this he did not mention Edgeworth's name until he talked about his condition shortly after saying this?" Max bit his lip in anxiety, if he didn't have anything to back this one up, Wright would be guilty.

"Uh…yeah pal, he very clearly said that…I questioned em personally on the site and the department did the rest…what of it, unless-wait…you don't think—ah!" Gumshoe's depression seemed to lift a little too when he noticed what the kid was aiming at, it was positively insane, and illogical, but also brilliant.

"Then your honor—the defense would like to amend their claims, Wright did indeed shoot a man last night…however…" Max paused and slammed an open palm on the desk; the resulting noise was enough to startle the whole crowd. "It wasn't Edgeworth he shot; Mister wright shot at…the murderer!" He exclaimed with a confident tone, as if he actually knew that was the case; in reality he was hoping for the best.

"F—fool! You…you cannot be serious, you shouldn't make such outrageous claims in the court of law!" Franziska seemed outright shocked at the statement, to the point of cringing without realizing. "Why would he fire a gun at a murderer, why would you think such foolish thoughts that only a foolish attorney like Wright could conjure up!" It wasn't an outright objection to his statement, but it might as well have been one since she was questioning his logic.

And as soon as he saw Franziska's reaction to his claim, Maxwell's gears started spinning rapidly; it really was illogical and quite frankly impossible if the evidence was legitimate. He'd played his only ace in the hole, and he was gambling everything; it was an exhilarating sensation, as he examined the evidence once more he found something interesting. Ever so slowly, the flaws in the evidence became clear; everything was perfect, which was what made this argument so imperfect.

"Hmm…interesting…" The judge stopped to think for a few moments. "At first I was taken aback by your claim, however…after seeing how the prosecution initially reacted to said claim. Very well…" The judge smiled as he picked up the gavel. "I now declare a twenty minute recess and then we will then hear this theory of his-if the defense cannot prove this theory before court closes; Wright will be declared guilty." He finished with a calm tone, honestly surprised that Maxwell had that kind of imagination.

"Y-your honor…I object!" Franziska hissed in protest as she cracked her whip at him.

"Object to what, if I don't prove my theory, you win…and that would be "good" for you now wouldn't it little miss whip happy?~" Max chimed teasingly as he thought about it for a moment, he could definitely come up with something in that amount of time if he meditated on it.

"Little Miss…you little-…" Franziska clenched her fist and pounded the desk. "Fine, take your twenty minutes! It won't change a single detail, I assure you that much!" She snapped back bitterly, repeatedly slamming her fist into the desk.

Wow, what a sweet face that was, to see such a normally calm and unbreakable woman so pissed off almost amused Max to some extent. She obviously felt threatened by his claim, the problem was Max didn't exactly have his theory figured out yet; not to the point of getting the results he needed. Even still, twenty minutes in silent meditation was more like an hour to him, surely he could think of something. He knew exactly why Franziska was so shaken up, Wright was the only defense attorney who could give her a real challenge; without that challenge, she would have little reason to need a perfect record. Any victory she had after winning this case would be hollow, and bitter; with no reason to gloat since Wright would be in prison and possibly put on death road for his crime.


	4. Turnabout Finale Pt 1

October 7'th: 7:40 AM Wright and Co Law Offices

*PW:AA OST: 23 - Search ~ Core 2001*

Half of the next day was spent studying Phoenix's previous cases, Maxwell was fascinated that such an amateurely skilled and incredibly lucky lawyer could solve such dubious crimes. Unfortunately even though he learned a lot about Wright's methods of investigation, there were no clues about what had actually happened on the night the murder supposedly took place. It was bad enough that Karma had the same amount of time to investigate that he did, it was frustrating that Wright wasn't released from the detention center just yet.

"Argh…it's no good, it looks like I'm going to have to investigate the crime scene…" Maxwell thought aloud with a moan as he rubbed his forehead, silently praying that Mia would give him some sort of clue.

After snooping around the offices for a while, Max decided he would investigate the three rooms in the Gatewater hotel next to the Wright and Co office buildings to see if he could find any clues. His girlfriend was a bell hop at this particular hotel, so he got in and out without issue; sadly his searches in the vacant rooms other than his own revealed nothing. He actually couldn't help but shudder at the thought that someone set up and witnessed Mia's murder in the room right next to his own, there were no signs of phone tapping or anything like that so he had to check one last place before moving on.

"Hmm…that's odd…there's some film studio lights set up in optimal places for filming at night…" Maxwell was really just talking to himself at this point, it was something he did to keep his mind on the task at hand.

Closer inspection of the lighting equipment also revealed that it belonged to an interesting place, Global Studios. Either someone had stolen equipment and were filming here, or Global Studios was doing some legitimate on site filming; but why, what sort of backdrop would this particular alleyway represent? If they wanted an alleyway they could pick any old place; Max moved behind the shrubbery and was given an even more interesting clue, there was recording equipment set up as well. Ever so slowly the mystery was coming together, perhaps both Edgeworth and Wright were having an argument over who got the part for a spy movie or something; Vesquez did mention a surprise that had something to do with Wright after all.

Max was about to crawl out from behind the bushes when he spotted two figures in trench-coats approaching from each side of the alleyway; they were suspicious enough, wearing the most figure concealing clothes ever designed along with a pair of sunglasses made them shady indeed. One of the figures he could barely make out to be a fifty two, scrawny looking man; the other figure appeared to be a female, probably in her mid-forties if he had to guess, it was a shame the coat covered up most of her face. There was little time to focus on keeping calm, so he just concentrated on silent breathing techniques that most martial artists knew.

*PW:AA OST: 10 – Suspense*

"Were you followed; I'm good at covering up my own tracks, screw anyone else's…" It was the woman who spoke up first, the voice was deep and intimidating; almost sinister.

"There's nobody who'd follow me, anyway…two more days and you'll have your reward for your fine work. Finally, that thorn in my side will be gone; and that snobby Edgeworth is dealt with too~" The man responded with a slight chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders.

"About that…yeah, that uppity lawyer you mentioned had bigger stones than I predicted; I played my role perfectly and that idiot didn't know we were filming a movie with him in it. Still though…it's a shame 'Edgeworth' didn't get what he deserves, but he won't be back from his vacation in time to save his friend." The woman groaned annoyed as she tapped her foot on the ground a little to stretch her leg muscle. "You're more impressive than I thought too…mister rookie killer…now, about my payment." The woman chimed with a somewhat playful laugh.

Rookie killer, where had Max heard that nickname before; it was nagging the back of his mind just like the fact that Wright insisted that he didn't shoot Edgeworth. Whatever the case he made sure not to forget the woman's tone, or the old man's nervous reaction to the title. He practically jumped out of his skin and took a step backward, something was suspicious about all this; and he was narrowing down the possibilities. Shortly after the woman mentioned payment the old man pulled out an envelope and handed it to her, obviously it contained a very large sum of money with what little of their conversation he heard.

"I-if anything…you're thorough ma'am…b—but please…refrain from using that nickname! Thanks to that pesky defense attorney that title haunts my nightmares." The old man responded with a nervous tone, hoping nobody would hear him.

"Well now; you're complimenting me on my thoroughness, it was your plot "Ouchie" kun! You may take your leave now…I expect to receive the other half of the fifty thousand when Wright is behind bars." The woman retorted with a chuckle as she patted the old man on the head, which made him flinch so sharply it was more like a muscle spasm.

Maxwell was certain that he'd discovered the murderer, or if his interpretation of the facts were straight, the assassin; and the man who she was meeting with was her client. It was somewhat confusing at first who might've hired a woman who was a freelance murderer, but the two nicknames she mentioned clicked in his mind. He wasn't sure how relevant it was to the case at hand, at least until the woman started probing the recording equipment on the camera set up by the shrubbery that was on the Gatewater side of the alley and removing a VHS tape from it. He was surprised when the woman turned to face him, she was looking right where he was hiding.

"My, My…if it isn't Maxwell Fong…shi shi shi~ it's positively been ages lad, tell me—what's a little rat like you doing snooping around a place like this? Hmph! You can stop hiding now…I know you're sitting there wondering just who I actually am!" The woman stated with a sigh as she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"So you caught me…big deal…" Maxwell stood up and put his hands up like he was under arrest from the police. "Just go ahead and get it over-with then, I'm no coward!" Okay, he was totally bluffing there, for some reason this woman terrified him more than any female he'd ever met.

"What…and spoil the fun, really dear I'm not even interested in you; unless you got some bounty on your head. I'm pretty sure you don't remember me anyway, but I sure as hell remember your shoddy Maui Tai dislocating my shoulder you little pest! Unfortunately my client has requested that I don't kill anyone who doesn't need to be killed for the plan to work. So~" It was horrifying how quickly she changed from a somewhat sweet sounding woman to a bloodthirsty criminal as she whipped out some kind of handgun that looked like it was from a b-grade sci-fi movie.

"Dislocating your…wait…impossible—it—it's you…you were the one who-" Maxwell was cut off when he felt a sharp pain in his neck after the woman pulled the trigger. "What in the heck…animal…tranquilizer…so what do you intend to…do with me?" Max struggled to keep his balance as he took a fighting stance, his vision was blurring already, and his head was starting to spin as well.

"Too little too late I'm afraid, although I have to admit you Fong people are tough nuts to crack…" The woman chimed as she watched him stumble his way over to her and attempt to strike her. It was surprising that he had the stamina to actually throw a punch at her face. "First your father falls prey to my charms, and now you're failing at imitating Ryu—what?! How…I blocked your attack…" The woman reeled backwards and hunched forward after being struck in the stomach.

"Hehehe…Ya-ma..zuki…it's one of the seven secret Fong Martial arts techniques…I used one hand to attack your face; and while you were busy focusing on guarding that attack, I used my other arm to nail you in the gut." Great, his legs were practically putty right now thanks to whatever she injected into his neck. "Foul villain…you may escape today, tomorrow, and the next day after that—but like the noble samurai I will always rise again to cut you down!" Maxwell shouted pridefully before he finally succumbed to the power of the tranquilizer flowing through his veins.

"Ugh—as if…even as a high school kid he's still a little baby…oh well…no skin off my nose…" The woman chuckled as she left Maxwell unconscious on the ground, out in the middle of the street; just like she'd done for that annoying photographer.

October 4'th 7 Years Ago: Groosburg Law Offices

*PW:AA OST: 16 - Dick Gumshoe*

After he blacked out, Maxwell found that he'd woken up in a place he hadn't seen in years; a mahogany desk and mahogany bookshelves with a mahogany table. On top of that, an audacious oil painting of a cowboy on the wall, no doubt about it, it was Groosburg's office; clearly he wasn't conscious, instead he deduced that he was having a flashback. He recognized the woman in the room to be a much younger Mia Fey, she looked about seventeen years old, and he would never forget that coffee obsessed, red shirt wearing Diego Armando. The obese manager of the office wasn't there, probably managing some cases for his employees; they seemed to be discussing an interesting subject.

"So…Fong is leaving us, but isn't he one of the best defense attorneys we have?" Mia questioned with some concern as the exact date clicked in Max's head, it was the day his father resigned from his position, and left some huge shoes to fill.

"Don't you worry kitten, I here that nosy guy has been hand-grooming someone to take his place until we find someone else. As some rumors have it, I hear his kid is an even sharper attorney than him—the examiners for the Law school his son applied for even called him a genius." Diego stated comfortingly with that familiarly cocky grin on his face as he took a drink from probably his fifteenth cup of coffee in the past hour.

Max's memory of the day was kind of foggy, but he did remember his first meeting with these two people, more particularly miss Fey's reaction; while he was enjoying the chance to see Mia young again, he wasn't sure what it was about that woman that triggered his memory, maybe it wasn't that woman, but the case in general.

"A genius huh…so…how old is this son of Maximillion's…19…maybe 21?" Mia asked with a raised brow, so a bunch of law school teachers were calling the son of a talented but risky defense attorney a genius? She figured the kid had to have some years of experience under his belt, or at the very least be close to her age.

"Not even close kitten—he's eleven years old, I heard he's quite the little scrapper too, so try not to tick him off. Anyway, let's be polite and give the kid a shot, who knows…you just might learn something." Diego stated with a chuckle as he crossed his arms and shrugged a little, he wasn't sure about his old partner's decision either, throwing an eleven year old into the cold, cruel world of law study.

Max remembered what happened next and couldn't help but smile as he saw his eleven year old self, a bit taller than most kids his age, but he was dressed just as professionally as his father; he remembered refusing to wear his glasses that day, insisting that it would make him look like a dork in front of a young woman. He watched as Diego and his father removed themselves from the room to discuss some other business; it wasn't long before the room became tense, he just stood there and smiled up at Mia before sitting down on the couch and pulling a kindle from his pocket.

"So um…your name is Maxwell right…it's nice to meet you! I…hope we can enjoy working together…" Mia was as timid and easily surprised as he remembered, she sure did mature in the time that he wasn't involved with her.

"Cut the act Fey…let's not let our families differences interfere with our work together." The young Maxwell stated with a cold and serious tone. "I know about your talents, what I want to know is why you decided to become a Lawyer of all things." Max knew a little bit about the spirit channeling technique, and he'd heard lots of stories, good and bad about Mia Fey.

"Oh?! I should ask you the same thing; I mean you're eleven years old! Wait…what are you reading anyway?" Mia snapped back after blinking in surprise, almost jumping out of her skin when he spoke up so sharply.

"The case files for today's trials, the grown-ups think they can take advantage of me cause I'm young; I'll show them I can be just as serious when I feel like it." He paused and shrugged as he thought about it for a moment. "The grown-ups will be teasing you more than me though…try not to let it rub you the wrong way." Young Maxwell finished with a slight smirk on his face as he showed her what he was reading up on.

So the kid just wants people to accept him for what he is huh, interesting; I wonder if they really will let him be a lawyer here. I know Diego is Groosburg's right hand man but...I don't know. Mia thought to herself nervously as she bit a fingernail while she contemplated the meaning of his statement.

It was about half an hour before the adults came back in the room, with Mr Groosburg included; Maxwell remembered how bitter he was that day, what his father did to him was almost criminal. He didn't lose any respect he had for his father as a Lawyer; he only lost the respect he had for the guy as a person. If the memory was going where he thought it was, he knew why he was still bitter thinking about his old man even to this day.

"So that settles it, you'll take care of Maxwell for me while I'm on vacation…I'm sure he'll be a fine bench council for Miss Maya." Max's father stated with a sigh of relief as he shook his head, and turned away slightly from a glaring Maxwell.

"Yes, he is a bit too young I'm afraid to be taken seriously as a Lawyer; but I'm sure the Judge and the rest of the court will humor him as a bench council for our most recent genius." Groosburg responded with a serious tone as he walked over to examine Maxwell. "How does that sound lad, you can be a big hero in the courtroom just like your old man~" Groosburg chimed in an upbeat tone as he patted him on the head.

"You think its funny don't you old man, fine…I'll play your little game; but on one condition!" Young Maxwell stood up and pointed a finger at the man. "If Miss Fey wins her next trial, you get me into that Law school my father went to. I'll show you grown-ups that a genius is a genius regardless of their age~" Max remembered how proud he felt standing up to the disbelieving adults that day, he felt like a lion cub making its first roar.

"W—what…don't drag me into this you annoying little kid…" Mia protested in shock as she gave him an angry glare, who did this Fong think he was anyway?

"Hmm…bahahaha—oh wow, you weren't kidding when you said he had stones Maximillion, why not humor the kid boss, Mia's next case is pretty open and shut anyway." Diego responded as he spat out his coffee before he started his laughing.

"Hmm…it isn't that horrifying of a case either, alright little man…you have a deal; the world could use more brave lawyers like you and Mia anyway." Groosburg seemed pretty intimidated as he listened to the lad's bold statement.

Little did the adults know that young Maxwell would do just that; and he would shock the world with his cunning maneuvers in the court-room; he really couldn't remember why he was so persistent that day to be treated as an adult, but that was beyond the point. He sighed a little as he thought about where this memory was headed, that animal tranquilizer must've been strong enough to knock out an elephant or something. Maxwell wasn't even sure how the memory was related to the case, but if he was unconscious long enough he figured the answer would come to him soon.

The rest of the day was a big blurry moment, the only thing Max clearly remembered was how surprised Mia was when she saw how laid back Max could be. He remembered some of the conversation the small group had over dinner, but nothing worthwhile; once Maxwell returned to his hotel room and went to bed, the memory faded away into the next day. He suddenly found his younger self outside the courtroom, meditating calmly like he had before. It was funny, that time seven years ago he left an hour early to concentrate on the case; and he was interested in seeing what clues this memory had for this case.

October 8'th 7 years ago: 12:00 AM Defendant Lobby #2

*PW:AA OST: 03 – Trial*

"It's over! My life is over…I'm so totally screwed here!" Max remembered his first and only encounter with the legendary failure, a young Larry Butz.

"D—don't shout at me about it being over, look…Diego had some business come up so our bench counsel for today will be Maxwell…it's…" Mia crossed her arms in frustration and blushed a little, hoping to keep her mindset straight.

"Something we're both going to have to put up with…is what she's about to say. But don't let my age fool you mister Butz, if Mia believes you're telling the truth then I will crush the prosecutor and find the identity of the real villain." Young Maxwell stated as he stood up and finished his meditation period, joining Mia at her side.

"H—how did you know I was going to say that? A—anyway….Max is right, if you're innocent then I know I'll find the truth today, even if it's something we don't want to hear." Mia stated with a more determined tone as she took a few deep breaths.

"I can hear people's thoughts as words in my head, it's sorta complicated…you shouldn't be so surprised since you're spiritually talented yourself Miss Fey…" Young Maxwell responded with a sarcastic moan as he rolled his eyes at the woman.

Mia's Inner Self: I have a perfectly good reason to be surprised, mind reading and spirit channeling are two completely different things!

"It's time for the trial to begin you three, a stepping stool has been provided for your heh…counsel…" The Bailiff chimed with a snicker as he opened the door to the courtroom.

October 8'th 7 years ago: 12: 30 AM Courtroom #2

As expected, the entire courtroom was a little befuddled by the young man taking Diego's place at Mia's side, not just at the size difference but the age difference as well. Maxwell remembered being slightly amused how silly the adults were behaving, making little quips and cheering for the little cutie to win in a mocking way before the trial began; eventually the judge called the court to order and began the proceedings as they usually did.

"Today we will begin the trial of Larry Butz, a high school student who has been charged for the theft and abuse of several pieces of electronics; the store owners will either give Mr Butz a fine of Two thousand dollars or a year in prison if he is not proven innocent by this trial's end. Is the prosecution ready?" The judge asked as he turned toward the genius prosecutor with a stern face.

"Is this some kind of joke your honor, this up-start is so confident she's hired a child as a bench counsel! However, this only makes it easier for the prosecution, which is completely ready to win this trial." It was Miles Edgeworth, or at least that's who Max assumed it was, he started the lawyer business at a young age as well.

"Diego Armondo has called in sick today after drinking some 'bad' coffee; seeing as this is a simple trial, the court sees no harm in allowing young Maxwell to counsel Miss Fey for this single session. Groosburg has arranged for some special favors to the lad, and he will be rewarded for his hard work if Mia wins the case today. Speaking of the defense…are you ready Miss Fey, I understand you're still recouping from your second encounter with that awful Hawthorne child." The judge stated with a serious tone as he shook off Edgeworth's smug attitude with a headshake.

"I've recovered just fine your honor…no need to bring up the past…" Mia stated with a serious tone as she folded her arms across her chest.

Maxwell remembered reading about that case even as a kid and finding it pretty hard to believe; but to see Mia return to the courtroom more motivated than ever. If anything, what would happen that day would teach the both of them a valuable lesson; not that it had anything to do with the case at hand, or did it.

The court session then proceeded as one might expect, every time Mia put up an objection, good old Edgeworth shot her down without remorse. Evidence seemed to come out of nowhere, and every contradiction she found seemed to be a well-laid trap by Edgeworth; the battle was almost as heated as Max's battle with Karma over Wrights innocence. Each time a witness was called the younger Maxwell took a picture of their face with his Kindle, and started flicking through information as quickly as he could. He knew exactly what was coming, and the entire courtroom was in for the surprise turnaround of the century.

"Uhm…if it's okay, can I start my testimony now so Larry kun can get his proper punishment~" The third and final witness, a rather buxom 15 year old girl in a store manager's uniform for Sammy's electronics boutique.

Maxwell remembered pretty well how stunned the court was with her beauty, even Mia seemed a little envious; and Edgeworth was as smug as ever too. The curb hugging uniform was far from what he'd consider courtroom appropriate attire, but then she was a witness who the prosecutor seemed to pull out of nowhere. As an eleven year old, Max wasn't thrown off by sexy girls even if she was nice to look at.

"I don't know…if you need time to prepare, your boyfriend will be in a lot of trouble you know?" The judge asked with concern as he blinked in surprise, the witness had such an innocent voice.

"That's right, my daddy's store is going to fine my poor Larry two thousand dollars~ s…so I have to tell the truth right? The whole truth, and nothing but the truth and all that~" The witness gave the judge the most adorable smile she could muster, sounding a bit too innocent for Max's taste.

It was at that point that the young woman had the entire courtroom wrapped around her little fingers; it was sickening to think how easily the hearts of the grownups were swayed. Mia flinched just about every time the woman smiled, either she was jealous of her cute act, or she was just plain pissed at how the court reacted. The witness proceeded to explain in exquisite detail how Larry stole the three or four products, claiming that he'd broken down and told her everything out of guilt. Knowing Larry, he might have done something like that; but then, when something smelled, it was usually the Butz.

"Is that all you need to know, can I go now, I'm um…late for my appointment…" The girl asked playfully giving the judge a rather sexual wink, which flustered Mia as a result.

Mia's Inner Self: Dammit! What's this bimbo got that I don't have, I swear the men are eating her up like candy!

"She's got "confidence" Mia…and "lots of it" so to speak…" Young Maxwell stated with a slight flush as he thought about why exactly the court was so amazed by this witness. "Just a few more minutes Miss Mona, if you don't mind…could you testify to the court about what you were doing the day Larry was caught?" He asked with a stone cold expression on his face, he wasn't too impressed with the witnesses act either.

"Hmm…it is unfortunate that the defense suspects such a pretty girl, but unfortunately it is true that if you don't have an alibi then you might be a suspect as well. Please give us a few more moments of your time and you can leave…" The judge was shaken up by how cute the woman was, completely unaware of the game the witness was playing.

"Hehehe~ You're so adorable Maxie, and yes…I do have 'confidence' see…lots of it!" Mona chimed playfully as she made her chest bounce a few times with her arms.

"J—just start your stupid testimony witness…" Mia looked furious, and Max had a pretty good idea of why, this girl was just like Hawthorne, though not on the same level of wickedness.

-Testimony: My Alibi, My Larry Kun!-

"So...you want to know about my perfect alibi, it's him, my sweet little boyfriend Larry. See, I had just checked out from work; managing an electronics store is hard you know, and I was going to tell Larry my operation wasn't that big of a deal. He comes busting through the front door to my apartment, carrying three busted laptops and a cracked i-pad in his arms. "Sweetheart, I've really done it now!" Is what he said, "I'm busted, so busted cause I caught some guy stealing stuff I was trying to return and they pinned it all on me!" is all that he would tell me. I calmed him down and told him it could be sorted out quite easily, even a dope like him could afford the damage fees. That's...really what happened, please don't be too upset with him.~" Mona explained with her childishly innocent tone and one hundred wat smile.

"Hmm...you must have been through quite a lot Mona, I suppose that would lead to only one conclusion." The judge stroked his beard as he tried to find the right way to say it without hurting Mona's feelings or seeming too harsh.

*Objection!*

"W—wait your honor...I haven't cross examined this witness yet!" Mia spat out frantically as she slammed her hands down on the desk.

*Objection!*

"Whatever for Mia, this witnesses testimony changes nothing about this case; unless you're going to grasp for straws that desperately." Edgeworth commented with his usual coy grin as he put his arms out wide and shook his head.

*Hold It!*

"Then why are you so eager to stop Miss Mia from cross examining it..." Young Maxwell chimed in a mock fashion as he imitated Edgeworth's ever so famous finger point. "after all, you're the great Miles Edgeworth, why not prove how perfect you are by tearing apart every contradiction Mia brings up?" Ah yes, even in his early years, Max remembered using reverse psychology in some of the oddest, sarcasm filled ways.

"Enough! I'm missing my soap operas, and if I want to keep this court from becoming one I guess I have to allow the defense to cross examine this final witness. Remember, if you are unable to prove mister Butz is innocent after this..." The judge paused and glared toward Mia and sighed a little.

"I understand your honor...the defense is certain that through this testimony, we will discover the identity of the true thief and prove Larry is innocent in less than half an hour." Young Maxwell stated seriously as he crossed his arms in thought.

Mia's inner self: What the hell, Max seriously—I'm just a new lawyer that got lucky once; are you insane!

"Critical thinkers work best under pressure Miss Mia...trust me on this, there's more holes in this testimony than Swiss cheese." Young Maxwell responded quietly as he shook his head at his partner, clearly she needed to work on her lawyer's attitude.

"Then why don't you do the cross-examination hot shot, I can take a lot of things but I won't take orders to a kid who's eleven years old." Mia snapped in frustration as she gave him a glare that could cut glass.

"Well...if you insist...why not..." Young Maxwell finished with a snicker as he shook off her empty threats. He understood how she felt, being pushed around by someone almost half your age wasn't fun.

Mia's inner self: Wait, what am I saying...did this little runt just use reverse psychology on me?!

"This should be amusing to watch, go ahead and take your best shot at me...little man!" Edgeworth stated in his usual smarmy tone, this courtroom would be made a laughing stock if he was true to his claims.

-Cross Examination: My Alibi, My Larry Kun!-

*PW:AA OST: 07 - Examination ~ Allegro 2001*

"So...you want to know about my perfect alibi, it's him, my sweet little boyfriend Larry!"

*Hold It*

"Miss Mona, earlier you told the court you have been dating Larry for a month now correct?" Young Maxwell asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side a little.

"Y-yes...what a sharp little man you are, you pay just as much attention as the grown-ups!" Mona quipped with her oh so innocent smile as she flaunted her confidence once more.

"Care to explain why you would date...well...that guy...I mean, this IS Larry we're talking about." Maxwell responded with a serious tone as he raised a brow, did she really think she could win him over with her cleavage?

"I—I told you, he's my little sweetums, and my perfect alibi for why I'm so innocent." Mona stated with a little bit of nervousness showing in her expression, although Max had to admit she was as cute as a button.

*Objection*

"Your honor, this is a courtroom, not a myspace page; I would prefer that the defense not needle my client with pointless questions not related to the case." Edgeworth interrupted as he slammed one hand down on his desk and glared toward the judge.

"Fine, I'll let it slide...it really wasn't related to the case anyway." Maxwell responded as he shrugged his shoulders like he didn't ask the question in the first place.

"See, I had just checked out from work; managing an electronics store is hard you know, and I was going to tell Larry my operation wasn't that big of a deal."

*Hold it*

"Hmm...so you're in a management position for one of your father's stores? What department do you manage, surely he wouldn't trust you to manage the entire store all by yourself?" Max asked curiously, intentionally dodging another question on his mind for later, he would bring it up when the time was right.

"Oh! Um, I keep track of inventory, you know-ordering products, shipping products, but I have the staff so wrapped around my cute little finger the place would have a melt-down without my help." Mona answered with a bright smile on her face, she did seem to pause a moment before answering.

"So...essentially speaking, daddy's little angel is more like daddy's little succubus In this case?" Max commented with a little chuckle, tossing her a grin of his own as a warning.

"Hehe...you shouldn't flatter girls like me, you might find more than you bargained for~" Mona replied with a cute little snicker, flaunting her chest yet again as she winked toward him.

Edgeworth's Inner Self: C-crap...is this runt onto her, or is she the one toying with him?

"Relax Edgeworth...I assure you my completely unrelated lines of questioning will bear fruit when my partner decides to strike. Isn't that right Mia..." Max couldn't help but remember how little self control over his telepathic ability back then, and he remembered thinking he was a psychic.

"Hold on! When did we become partners exactly?!" Mia spat out before Edgeworth could open his mouth to comment about Maxwell reading his mind.

"Hmm...you're pretty good at reading expressions and body language, and guessing what people are thinking through that aren't you ya little runt? Your line of questioning amuses me though, so don't worry about my problems, worry about what'll happen to your client if he's found guilty." Edgeworth taunted with a surprisingly calm tone as he thought about it for a moment.

"Excuse me? I don't think "Guessing" is very accurate, but whatever you want to tell yourself to help yourself sleep at night." Maxwell chimed with a laugh as he shook off Edgeworth's attack like it was nothing.

"He comes busting through the front door to my apartment, carrying three busted laptops and a cracked i-pad in his arms."

"The poor guy was hysterical "Sweetheart, I've really done it now!" Is what he said, "I'm busted, so busted cause I caught some guy stealing stuff I was trying to return and they pinned it all on me!" is all that he would tell me."

"I calmed him down and told him it could be sorted out quite easily, even a dope like him could afford the damage fees."

"That's...really what happened, please don't be too upset with him~"

"Hmm...it would seem the cross examination of this witness adds nothing to this case after all...in that case, I've made my decision..." The judge stated with a frustrated tone as he started to reach for his gavel.

"But...your honor, Phoenix has known Larry for ages, and he would never steal anything..." Mia was in for it, she would be the laughing stock of the law office world if this case was lost because her so called partner didn't ask about anything related to the case.

"Unfortunately I cannot trust the opinion of one boy who was so easily swayed by the wiles of that wicked Hawthorne. I'm afraid that for the time being, unless there is evidence to prove against these claims..." The judge sighed as he raised his gavel high into the air.

*Objection!*

"I am sorry Mia, but nobody is above the law, and your objection is void since the cross-examination period is over." The judge responded with a short sigh, he knew Mia was determined, but not stubborn.

"Don't look at me your honor...I sure as heck don't object to the decision with an open and shut case like this." Mia had very briefly lost hope, there was no time left, and the judge had chosen to believe that slut's word over poor Larry's.

"Then...Edgeworth...you object to the ruling I am about to hand down on the defendant?" The judge blinked and turned toward the young prosecutor in surprise.

"It wasn't me your honor, if you declare that Larry guilty it only means I'm doing what I'm paid to do." Edgeworth answered with his hand briefly greeting the surface of his forehead, this late in the trial, there was no way to turn things around.

"It was the half pint of a bench counsel!"

"Yeah, get back to kindergarten kiddo!"

Many such mutterings were among the crowd as the judge hummed in thought, stroking his beard as he pondered what the crowd was saying. It truly was an interesting idea, this was one of the few times a bench counsel had thrown out an objection; let alone this late in the trial, however the boy was a little young.

"And what on earth do you object to young man, surely the truth has been made abundantly clear to the court by now?" The judge raised a brow at young Maxwell, the spitting image of Maximillion Fong, if only a little younger.

"Ahem... "I pronounce the defendant, Larry Butz...guilty..." Is what I object to your honor. Besides, I still have five minutes left, and with Mia's help we're going to crack this egg wide open." Maxwell stated tauntingly as he imitated Edgeworth's coy attitude from earlier In the case.

"Forgive me for asking this, but did you just read my mind?" The judge asked as he blinked in confusion at the statement that Max just made.

"It's hardly considered mind reading at this point your honor, however...if you pronounce Larry guilty; you will be doing exactly what this witness wants you to do. An "alibi" like Larry seemed like the perfect answer to her little problem. However, because this is Larry, well, that's what makes her entire argument null and void. I do believe that Mis Mona is the true thief!" Maxwell answered as he slammed his hand down on the desk loud enough to wake up any snoozing audience members.

"Hehe...you're funny Maxie...little old me, a thief? I think you need to review the other testimonies." Mona stated seriously with a big, smarmy grin on her face.

The crowd reacted in its usual manor, hushed mumblings and random guesses as to what the defense was getting at. Though many of them were on the side of prosecution, a couple were whispering about other things. Max had a feeling remembering this trial wasn't the point of the memory, if he was unconscious for much longer, young Maxwell's heart would be crushed very soon.

*Objection*

"If you're going to call my client a thief, when she is the one who was robbed; you're going to need to provide serious proof little man!" Edgeworth shouted with a somewhat frustrated tone as he slammed his hand on the counter.

*Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations ~ Cornered 2004*

"The proof...is in the witness's testimonies, and in the defendants testimony; Larry has been framed. Clearly being a manager puts her in the perfect position to rob a store...wouldn't you think?" Maxwell stated with a bit of a coy shrug as he shook off Edgeworth's comment about him being short.

Mia's Inner Self: She's in perfect position...what on earth does he mean, wait...of course!

"This is a courtroom Maxwell, if you're going to accuse the witness of the crime; you are going to need more than baseless conjecture. Hmm...Mia, it appears something has caught your eye? You're glaring so intently at the testimonies and profiles..." The judge commented with a raised brow, noticing Mia's sudden burst of inspiration really surprised him.

"I believe my counsel is onto something here; the last three of her boyfriends were put in juvenile hall...for shoplifting! That, and...ah...okay...I thought I had something...but I kinda lost it..." Mia flinched when Mona glared at her after she brought that point up.

"What Mia is getting at, is that Miss Mona is in charge of inventory, so it wouldn't be too difficult if some items turn up missing for example; and when her idiot boyfriend tries to return the products, the store owners think he shoplifted since they believe anything Miss Mona says." Maxwell explained as he shook his head a little.

"He's right, all she would have to do is put on a puppy dog face and shout "That's him! I saw that naughty boy sneaking out of the warehouse with those items." and that would be the end of that." Mia added as she pointed a finger at the witness.

*Objection*

"If Larry didn't steal the items in the first place, how did they get so damaged...we found a floppy disk in the cd drive for pities sake!" Edgeworth countered with concern as he gave Max and Mia a fierce glare.

"That question answers itself; because this is Larry we're talking about, only that guy is so inept with technology that he would try something like that." Maxwell responded with a shrug, did Edgeworth really think that would convince the judge otherwise.

"More importantly, the girl's father owns the store, it would be easy for her to obtain the kind of information, for example, like when night guards change shifts, the security codes for the back doors to the warehouse, etc—Larry would never be able to remember that kind of important information in order to pull off such a heist." Mia added when she considered exactly who her client was, and something else bugged her., but she couldn't put a finger on it

"And on top of that, all of her ex-boyfriends just happened to be thrown in juvenile hall, for shoplifting and at the same store? I highly doubt that Larry could remember a crime he didn't commit in such magnificent detail that you have Miss Mona! So fess up..." Maxwell paused as he put a hand on the desk in front of him.

"You stole the three items didn't you!" Both Mia and young Maxwell pointed at the witness in the over-dramatic way that you'd expect from this game.

"Hehe...so what...so maybe you're right, but then...what's my oh so important I don't know...um...motive?" Again, Mona turned toward the entire courtroom with a bright smile and a shy demeanor.

"The witness is right, if you're going to declare her as the true thief; what's her motivation? More importantly, why is Larry Butz such a fatally flawed alibi?" Edgeworth protested as he gave both Mia and Maxwell a harsh glare.

Once more the crowd was against the defense attorney's side and leaning more toward the prosecution's opinion. It was quite possibly the worst situation you could be in, with the judge and crowd against you, you could crack under that sort of pressure. It was a lesson Mia had learned and young Max as well.

"It's because of a rumor at a school my friend goes to; it goes like this, "if something smells, it's usually the Butz" and frankly I think this is the case." Mia stated as she shook her head at her opponent.

"Words alone are not enough for me to doubt the witness, so...you may ask the defendant one question related to the crime. If he really is as inept as you say, then proving his idiocy should be a small task correct?" The judge paused for a moment and sighed a little. "Also, we have yet to establish a motive for our witness." He finished with a rather serious tone.

Mia's inner self: Only one question, are you kidding me! How am I supposed to prove Larry doesn't have the first clue about computers period with one question?!

"Hey Larry...what does a computer mouse do?" Maxwell stated with a slight chuckle as he browsed through the personal information that the background check the prosecution so intelligently ignored.

"Oh I know this one! Um...a computer mouse runs through a maze to eat computer chips right..." Larry answered with enthusiasm as the entire courtroom went silent.

The courtroom was silent for a few minutes before anyone even decided to start speaking, first mumbles of the courtroom and then the judge seemed to be a bit lost in thought. Miles Edgeworth's face was as stunned as Mia's, well more along the lines of baffled and mildly amused. It wasn't until the witness gave Maxwell a smarmy grin that he realized they were in trouble.

"Just one problem mister counsel and miss attorney…what's my motive?" Mona asked with a rather serious tone as she rolled her eyes at the accusations. "Why would I frame poor Larry and damage valuable merchandise from my father's own store?" She finished with a big grin on her face, a shit eating grin at that; it was safe to say that they were cornered.

"A motive huh...Maxwell…why are you messing with your kindle at a time like this?" Mia was surprised he even managed to use that thing in a courtroom without being held in contempt.

"Just doing another background check on our witness...and before you ask this is a tool for gathering information, it's not meant to record anything really." Maxwell answered before turning to the witness with a smirk of his own. "Witness…your parents are divorced at the moment...am I correct?" Max asked as he raised a brow at his opponent in his first real trial.

*Objection*

"The cross examination period has ended, Mia Fey, I suggest you pick your counsel's more carefully on your next trial. Moreover, the witness's personal life has no bearing on this case." Edgeworth protested as he glared sharply at both Mia and Maxwell.

"Yes—daddy and I aren't exactly on the best speaking terms, so what…" Mona uttered tauntingly as she shrugged her shoulders, not really caring for any of the lawyers in the room.

"Well, you are the one who filed the lawsuit; therefore the two thousand in damage charges would be paid directly to your bank account. Which might be enough to pay off the rest of your little 'operation' don't you think? And damaging some of your father's inventory and ruining the reputation of his store is an added bonus." Mia answered with a serious tone as she caught on to what Max was getting at immediately.

"How did you know these were implants?!" Mona spat out in a panic as she hugged her pride and joy hoping to look cuter than she did.

"You just told us witness…Judge…I hope you've come to your decision by now; and on a further note, it's been exactly thirty minutes~" Maxwell stated with a big shit eating grin on his face as he thought for a moment.

"Hmm…it appears that after careful consideration, the witness will be investigated further and be tried for her crimes. In the meantime I declare the defendant, Larry Buts…" The judge paused and raised his gavel pretty high into the air. "Not Guilty! Bailiff...detain the witness immediately and bring her in for further questioning, as for you Larry...may we all pray that you don't end up in this courtroom again. This court session is adjourned!" The judge finished with a concerned tone, hoping he didn't jinx it.

Maxwell knew what was coming, and he was hoping the memory would end right at that point. If he stayed unconscious any longer, then he would be facing his own personal boogy-man so to speak-or woman in this case. The memory did fade out briefly, and he found himself lingering in darkness.

*Jingle ~ It Can't End Here – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Music*

Stay Tuned For The Finale~


End file.
